Newly-appointed NSI head Vellapandian knows the drill

LIFE has often been likened to a marathon - a long journey that requires resilience, will-power and endurance.

The marathon runner ultimately decides his or her own destiny – whether to conserve energy for a strong finish, jog through the pain or beat the odds and other obstacles to cross over the line.

For newly-appointed chief executive officer of the National Sports Institute (NSI), P. Vellapandian who is an avid marathon runner, he is expected to pace himself in his new capacity.

His appointment was announced by the NSI board chairman Datuk Marina Chin, herself a former poster girl in athletics in the 70s.

“Vellapandian brings over two decades of experience in the fields of sports science, sports psychology, research, and the development of athlete performance,” she said, according to Bernama.

“His expertise in high-performance athlete development, sports psychology, and elite sports programme management will contribute to driving NSI to a higher level in support of national sports excellence.”

Vellapandian, who turns 56 in August, previously served as the CEO of the Malaysian Youth Development Research Institute (IYRES) under the Youth and Sports Ministry.

His previous roles at NSI included key posts such as director of the Sports Performance Division and head of the Podium Programme.

Vellapandian, who hails from Sungai Petani, Kedah, holds a PhD in Sports Psychology from the University of Western Australia, along with a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in sports science from local universities.

He succeeds Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli, an avid athlete himself and member of the administrative and diplomatic corp, who sadly lost his father Md Ramli Ahmad on the same day he clocked out of NSI.

Faedzal brought various transformations in sports science, sports medicine, and the development of national athletes throughout his tenure of which he served under four Sports Ministers – Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and Hannah Yeoh.

He reports for duty as the Undersecretary of the International Division at the Sports Ministry yesterday.

Vellapandian is expected to bring a fresh perspective on NSI, having served in several Malaysian contingents, including as deputy chef de mission for 2018 Asian Games and head of sports science and medicine 2017 for SEA Games and 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Having also served under four CEOs before, Vellapandian understands the expectations heaped upon NSI as a service provider expected to produce the marginal gains for our elite athletes.

Interestingly, Vellapandian is only the third sports scientist to be heading the NSI, after Jabar Johari who was on secondment in 1993-94 and Mohd Khairi Zawi, a sports biomechanics and human control expert who served from 2015 to 2018.

The NSI have evolved from a sports medical department based in Kampung Baru headed by medical doctors such as Dr Ronnie Yeo, Datuk Dr Noordin Darus, Dr Ahmad Fauzi Zakaria and Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, into a sports science and medical giant with a building to call their own.

Vellapandian’s appointment came at the appropriate time, for the NSI bore the brunt of criticism from the stakeholders in the 2024 Paris Olympics post-mortem.

They raised their concerns on the lack of sports psychologists, a dedicated team for certain sports and detailed performance analyses on elite athletes.

But for Dr Ramlan, he believes Vellapandian knows the drill.

“He went to pursue his PhD in Perth under my watch then. Having been part of the NSI family for many years, he knows the drill. I wish him the best in his endeavours,” said Dr Ramlan.

Vellapandian still runs half-marathons under two hours and is able to complete a 10km run under 50 minutes.

But his immediate attention now is naturally to find ways to best serve the national sports associations and facilitate the process in optimising the performance of athletes and coaches.